LAZY DAISY, CRANKY FRANKIE

Another farm where the animals misbehave—well, they are good at something anyway.

"This is my cow, / she's called Daisy. / She should eat grass, / but she's too lazy." Instead what does Daisy do? She sits around all day being spoon-fed jelly. Nancy the pig is no better at doing what she ought. She's much too fancy to roll in the mud. "Instead she stares / at her reflection, / 'My oh my, / you are perfection.' " Lizzie the chicken doesn't lay eggs; she’s much too busy dancing in her purple underwear. Frankie the dog rounds out this rogue's gallery. He's far too cranky to herd the sheep. Instead he watches television and demands tea and cakes. "This is my farm, / it might not look good. / None of the animals / do what they should." But when nighttime comes, all of the animals display their expertise...at sleeping. Jordan and Weldon offer up this Australian farm that, like so many American farms in picture-book–land, finds itself peopled with contrary animals. The rhyming text will be easy to learn, and audiences will enjoy watching the ever-so-slightly goofy animals act up. The watercolor illustrations feature expressive cartoon animals who range from bored Daisy to seemingly over-caffeinated Lizzie. The roller-skating sheep glaring out from under its top hat is particularly hysterical.

A good addition to the fractious-farm-animals genre, and a fine bedtime story to boot. (Picture book. 2-5)